Method and apparatus for doing afro hairdos

ABSTRACT

A so-called &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Afro hairdo&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; (that is, a hairdo in which curly hair stands out from the head) is set in the following manner: Shampooed hair is wetted using oil, such as mineral oil, applied to the hair of a person having relatively curly hair, such as occurs in Black or Negro persons or their descendants; the hair is parted and combed straight down; a stretchable, imperforate cap is placed on the head and adjusted; the hair is allowed to dry or is dried; the cap is removed; the hair is then pulled out so that it stands away from the scalp; and then a comb having greatly elongated teeth is used to further cause the hair to stand straight out from the scalp.

United States Patent [191 Woodard METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOING AFROHAIRDOS [76} Inventor: Robert Woodard, 5003 Wynnefield Ave.,Philadelphia, Pa. 19131 221 Filed: Apr. 4, 1974 21 1 Appl. No.: 457,749

[4 1 July 1,1975

Primary Examiner- G. E. McNeill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Seidel, Gonda &Goldhammer [5 7 ABSTRACT A so called Afro hairdo" (that is, a hairdo inwhich curly hair stands out from the head) is set in the followingmanner: Shampooed hair is wetted using oil, such as mineral oil, appliedto the hair of a person having relatively curly hair, such as occurs inBlack or Negro persons or their descendants; the hair is parted andcombed straight down; a stretchable, imperforate cap is placed on thehead and adjusted; the hair is allowed to dry or is dried; the cap isremoved; the hair is then pulled out so that it stands away from thescalp; and then a comb having greatly elongated teeth is used to furthercause the hair to stand straight out from the scalp.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEHJULI F/GL? METHOD AND APPARATUS FORDOING AFRO HAIRDOS This invention relates to a method and apparatus fordoing Afro hairdos. More particularly. this invention relates to a novelprocess for setting curly hair in a type of hairdo where the hair standsrelatively straight out from the head, and an apparatus for performingthe process.

The Afro hairdo is best described as a hair style in which relativelylong curly hair is caused to stand straight out from the scalp as bywhat is known as teasing. This style of hair is most often worn bypersons who are of the Black or Negro races, or their descendants, andwhose hair naturally has a high degree of curl in it. It should beunderstood that this invention is not limited to use by Black persons asit has equal applicability to any other person who may wish to weartheir hair in the so-called Afro style.

The problem with the Afro style is that it is greatly effected byatmospheric conditions, particularly humid atmospheric conditions. Whenthe humidity is high, the strands of hair tend to curl in or shrinktowards the scalp. It is said that the hairdo loses its body". When thishappens, the hair must be reset.

The resetting of the hair under present processes requires that thewearer spend one or more hours in a professional beauty shop or barbershop. This is extremely time consuming and therefore limits when an Afrohairdo can be worn. For example, busy persons may be able to wear thisstyle of hair only for dress on weekends. And yet they may wish to wearit all the time. The present invention overcomes the foregoingdifficulties by providing a novel process for rapidly obtaining an Afrohairdo. In accordance with the present invention, a person may providehimself with an Afro hairdo in 15 minutes as compared to thepre-existing times of 1 hour for a so-called blow-out as provided inbeauty shops or barber shops. The process is accomplished by shampooingthe hair or treating the hair with an oil, such as mineral oil orotherwise wetting it such as with water or an admixture of water andoil. The hair must be clean. Thereafter, the hair is parted on bothsides and the back and combed straight down over the ears and back ofthe head so that it lies flat against the scalp. Thereafter, the userputs an imperforate cap over his or her head and pulls the cap as tightas possible against the scalp. The cap is left in place until the hairdries. Using an ordinary home hair dryer, this can take about eight toten minutes. The user could, if he or she so desired, put the cap onbefore retiring at night and then remove it the next morning.

In any case, the cap is removed after the hair has dried. Then, the hairis pulled out" using what is known as a "pull-out pick" which is a formof teasing comb. The final step in the process is to use a comb havinggreatly elongated teeth (over 5 inches). This comb is run through thehair at the scalp line with the tines flat against the scalp and then itis lifted straight away from the scalp. This is repeated over the entirehead of the user. Upon completion of this last step, the user of theprocess will have provided himself or herself with an Afro hairdo in ashort time; e.g., minutes.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in thedrawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood,however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a frontelevational view of the imperforate cap used in thepresent invention, said cap being shown in the process of being placedon a users head.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view showing the cap in place on the usershead.

FIG. 3 shows the lifter" comb used in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows another form of comb used in performing the process of thepresent invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicatelike elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a cap 10 which is made of aresiliently stretchable and imperforate material. By way of example, thecap 10 may be made of rubber or an imperforate, polymeric material. Thecap may also be made of a woven material, provided that the weave is sotight that human hair does not poke through it. Thus, as used inaccordance with the present invention, the term imperforate" means thatthe material for the cap is imperforate to human hair. The cap should bestretchable to obtain a desired tight fit over the scalp.

The user begins the process by shampooing his or her hair. Thereafter,it may, but need not be, treated with an oil substance, such as mineraloil or water and mineral oil. If desired, other substances such as wellknown hair tonics, or even water alone can be used.

The next step is for the user to part his or her hair at the sides andback of the scalp and comb it down over the ears, forehead and back ofthe head so that it lies flat against the scalp. A so-called bush comb"can be used for this purpose. Bush combs are a well-known hair stylinginstrument and therefore need not be described in detail, particularlysince any hair styling instrument which accomplishes the foregoingpurpose is suitable.

The next step in the process is to place the cap 10 over the scalp. Thecap 10 is designed so as to be smaller than the scalp in its normallyunstretched state. it preferably is over a foot in length so that itfits well down over the head and over the face. This extra length givesthe user a handle to hold onto the cap and pull it tightly against thescalp. Thereafter, the edge of the cap is rolled or folded upwardly sothat it uncovers the user's face. This is shown in FIG. 2.

The next step in the process is for the user of that process to leavethe cap in place until the hair is dry. This can be accomplished ineight to ten minutes using an overhead hair dryer such as the fabric captype sold on the open market. If desired, he or she could even wear itovernight. The function of the cap and leaving it in place is tomaintain the hair in a straightened-out condition until the hair hasdried. Thereafter. the cap 10 is removed from the wearers head.

The next step in the process is to use the comb 12 shown in FIG. 4. Comb12 is a conventional pull-out pick which is widely used by stylists,particularly for doing Afro hairdos. The user inserts the pick and drawsand teases the hair straight out from the scalp. In the preferred form,the pull-out pick has a handle 14 that is approximately 3 inches inlength and three inches wide at its widest point. The pull-out pick 12is also provided with a series of tines 16 which are essentially steelprongs that protrude from the handle 14 and have a length ofapproximately 2% inches. The handle 14 can be made of wood or plastic,as desired.

After the user has applied the pull-out pick over his or her entire headso that the hair stands straight out, he or she is now ready to use thelifter comb 22 illustrated in FIG. 3. The comb 22 illustrated in FIG. 3includes a wood or plastic handle 18 that is approximately 5 inches inlength and approximately 2% inches wide at the junction between it andthe tines 20. The tines 20 are steel prongs which protrude from thehandle and have a length of over 5 inches, with a length ofapproximately 6 inches being preferred. The tines 20, like the tines 16are made of steel and and do not readily bend.

The user uses the comb 22 in the following manner: The tines 20 areinserted into the hair flat against the scalp and then the comb islifted straight away from the scalp. This is repeated over the entiresurface of the scalp. The use of the lifter comb 22 differs from the useof the pull-out pick 12 in that that pick is used more in the manner ofan ordinary teasing comb; that is, the tines 16 are pulled through thehair at an angle to the scalp. The use of the comb 22 is as described;that is, the tines 20 are laid flat against the scalp and then liftedstraight away from the scalp.

The process is completed when the user pats any loose ends into place.At this point, the user has a complete Afro hairdo.

The use of the overly long cap as compared, for example, to the lengthof a conventional bathing cap, is

to accommodate the long hair of the person wearing an Afro hair style.As indicated, the cap preferably has a length of at least twelve inchesfrom the crown to the edge.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and,accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, ratherthan to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A process for styling curly hair comprising the steps of:

a. wetting the hair;

b. parting the hair and combing it flat against the scalp;

c. stretching a stretchable, imperforate cap over all of the hair andadjusting the cap to hold all of the hair in place flat against thescalp;

d. drying the hair with the cap in place on the scalp;

e. removing the cap;

f. combing out the hair so that it stands straight out from the scalp;

g. placing a highly elongated comb against the scalp and lifting itstraight away from the scalp through the hair and repeating the laststep over the entire scalp to give the hair an Afro style.

1. A process for styling curly hair comprising the steps of: a. wettingthe hair; b. parting the hair and combing it flat against the scalp; c.stretching a stretchable, imperforate cap over all of the hair andadjusting the cap to hold all of the hair in place flat against thescalp; d. drying the hair with the cap in place on the scalp; e.removing the cap; f. combing out the hair so that it stands straight outfrom the scalp; g. placing a highly elongated comb against the scalp andlifting it straight away from the scalp through the hair and repeatingthe last step over the entire scalp to give the hair an Afro style.